novelxo Chapter 1559
To her dismay, Leslie was now ashamed to call Fiona his mother!
Fiona was upset to the brink of tears, but she could not weep...
So, this was the feeling of being hurt by someone she loved. It was indeed agonizing! The anguish was worse than that of impending death.
However, Leslie didn't cease talking. He continued, "To be honest, your dismal situation came as no surprise."
Fiona replied, "Leslie..."
She only felt her heart shattering upon hearing those words.
"You'd know better than anyone else if you were the one who had committed those crimes. Since you have made a mistake, you should hold yourself accountable and repent for your sins. As long as you admit your mistakes, the court will be lenient towards you." Leslie detested his mother's behavior. However, he was still a child. He found out about her deeds only after it had occurred and was too late to stop her. "Leslie, I..." Fiona suddenly realized that her son had grown up. He was no longer the little boy who would only hide behind her and cry. He had his own opinions and perceptions. It seemed that he did not really need her anymore.
"Whether you will live on or you will be sentenced to death, it's all your own fault. Take care of yourself." After saying those words, Leslie turned around and strode out of the door. Finally, he could let loose of his emotions and he broke down crying.
He did not wish to cut ties with his mother, as he loved her way too much. She might be cruel and ruthless as a stepmother, but she sincerely cared for him as his mother. In fact, she was better than any other mother. Hence, he could not sit back and watch Fiona repeat her mistakes.
Perhaps this was the only way to make her realize that she had done something terribly wrong, and only then would she repent. Hopefully, the court would hand out a relatively lenient sentence considering her repentance... Without a doubt, Leslie could not blame Vanessa, who had been the victim, for the misfortune which had befallen his family.
Back in the prison.
Marvin and Fiona were still in a state of shock. It took them a long time to regain their senses.
They remained stupefied until the prison guard approached them. "It's time to go."
Only then did Marvin look at Fiona, and she stared back at him as well. The two stood facing each other, yet not uttering a word. However, they both knew what each other wanted to say...
The hurt of being looked down upon by their most beloved son was unbearable. Only those who experienced it before would understand.
Were they really in the wrong?
They lifted their gaze, with realization and tears settling in, but neither wanted to admit it.
In a flash, a few more days passed.
It was the day for Fiona's sentencing. Joel reported the results to Julien at once. The result was exactly what they thought. Fiona was sentenced to life imprisonment. When Julien answered the call, Vanessa was right beside him, and she also overheard the conversation.
After hanging up the phone, Julien patted her
hand and said, "Fiona's matter has come to an end. Don't think about her in the future. From now on, let's enjoy our life together."
"I don't want to think about Fiona anymore either." Vanessa sighed and said, "I'm not worried at all about Fiona since you will help me to settle the matter. However, Marvin has been acting strangely recently. It's as though he is living like a zombie and the poor child, Leslie is suffering. Leslie didn't do anything wrong, so he shouldn't have had to bear these consequences."
Vanessa loathed Fiona and Marvin, but she never hated Leslie. Since Fiona and Marvin could not take care of Leslie, Vanessa wanted to do something for him.
Whenever Vanessa was by his side, Julien would either caress her hands or pat her hair affectionately. "Leslie is young, but he can distinguish right from wrong. He has not been influenced by Fiona. As long as he is willing to study hard, I will make the necessary arrangements."
"There's no need to do so," Vanessa rejected. "Julien, I will take care of the matter regarding Leslie. Don't interfere in this."
Vanessa knew that Julien wanted to help her resolve her problems, but she did not need him to do everything for her. It was a mutual relationship, hence, they should be helping each other instead of one person relying entirely on the other.
"All right, I will not intervene." Julien hugged Vanessa and let her sit on his lap. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Since the matter has been resolved, shouldn't you have enough time to think about our future?"
"Julien, don't behave this way! We are in the office. It's indecent to let others see us in such a manner!" Vanessa struggled to get up, but he pressed her against him. They were so close that she could feel his warmth.
"Who would dare barge in right now?" Ever since Vanessa came back to work, Julien brought her wherever he went. It was as if he was announcing to the public that she was his fiancee. If anyone were against her, they would take into consideration her relationship with Julien and would not dare to lay a finger on her. Hence, every time Vanessa was in Julien's office, no one dared to enter.
"Whatever it is, you should let go of me first. It's not appropriate to cuddle like this during working hours!" Vanessa pushed him twice, but to no avail. "As the president of Rovio, you are not setting a good example. If all your subordinates behave like you, how would you be able to manage them?"
Julien pinched her nose and chuckled, "Rovio is not a place for loafers."
Vanessa retorted, "Well, even if they don't dare to follow your example, it will not be good for your reputation. You should work hard, and differentiate work from your personal affairs! Only then can you be an impressive leader!"
Julien bit her gently and said, "Miss Love, you are reprimanding me."
Vanessa shrugged her shoulders. "If you think so, then so be it."
Julien was persistent. "You're going off-topic. Answer me now. What's your opinion on our future?"
Vanessa knew what he was referring to, but she toyed with him. "What else can there be between us?"
As expected, Julien's face crumpled and he said gloomily, "Vanessa, you are deliberately pissing me off, aren't you?"
Vanessa pouted. "If you don't spill the beans, how would I know what's going on?"
Julien gave in to her, "Our wedding!"
Vanessa replied with a nonchalant air, "Oh... our wedding. I haven't given it much thought yet."
He had not formally proposed to her, but he wanted her to agree to the marriage. No way!
Julien had butterflies in his stomach. "Then tell me, how much longer do you need?"
He wanted to know how long he had to wait! As yearning for their wedding was such a torture to him.
Vanessa said dejectedly, "I don't know how long I need."
As long as he formally proposed to her, she would agree immediately. Although he was intelligent, Julien failed to understand what she wanted this time around, and Vanessa couldn't help but roll her eyes at his lack of cleverness.
Julien responded sulkily, "I don't care, let's get our marriage certificate on the first, next month!"
Vanessa chuckled, "What a bossy man!"
Although she commented that he was bossy, her heart felt warm. In fact, she was quite fond of his occasional overbearing demeanour.